DandruffDandruff is the commonest hair complaint. It affects just about everyone at one time or another. But it's NOT catching!

Most people feel embarrassed when they get dandruff.

TV adverts for anti-dandruff products don't help - they remind us that dandruff is anti-social!

But in fact dandruff is common, simple, harmless and relatively easy to treat.

Your skin is always being replaced. As new cells are produced so the old ones have to be shed.

Occasionally skin produces new cells too quickly and the older, discarded cells fall off like snowflakes.

For reasons which no one entirely understands this problem most commonly affects the scalp - dandruff!

Scientists and hair specialists have spent years trying to work out what causes it. Their best guess is stress. It seems that most people who are susceptible to dandruff get it worst when they are under pressure.

The good news is that it's fairly easy to treat.

There are dozens of anti-dandruff shampoos available. And you don't necessarily have to buy the most expensive.

Discoloured TeethTeeth can be discoloured by many types of food. But cigarettes are the commonest culprits.

You can buy abrasive toothpastes to remove stains. But if used too often these can damage your teeth.

My advice: visit your dentist to have you teeth cleaned thoroughly and professionally and then give up smoking.

Dry HairDry hair is dull, brittle and difficult to manage. It breaks easily and the ends split.

The reason for dry hair is a lack of natural oil - probably because the oil producing cells aren't working properly.

If you suffer from dry hair you can help yourself by:

* Keeping out of the sun and avoiding electric hair dryers and sunlamps. Let your hair dry naturally or dry it carefully with a towel after washing. Too much heat will make the problem worse.

* Frequent brushing and combing may help - by stimulating the oil producing glands.

* Using a good conditioner. It will give your hair more bounce and make it easier to manage. But don't buy a shampoo that contains a conditioner. That's like trying to put your make-up on while washing your face! Always buy a separate conditioner and apply it after shampooing.

* Be especially careful when changing the shape or colour of your hair. Dry hair is very easily damaged so avoid home perms and only let skilled hairdressers handle your hair.

* You may be able to improve dry hair by rubbing an oil directly onto your hair and into your scalp.

Dry skinIf your skin's superficial cells are full of water they look plump and pink and feel smooth.

If your skin's cells are short of water your skin will feel hard and rough and look cracked and parched.

Dry skin is exactly what it says.

The cosmetics industry will try to sell you products designed to put the water back into your skin.

I think you can ignore them.

In my view the best way to deal with dry skin is not to try and push water back into the cells (nigh on impossible) but to try and stop the water that is there being lost!

And the best way to do that is to use a moisturising cream.

Buy the cheapest and simplest moisturiser you can find. Ask your chemist to recommend a good, simple, very plain cream.

Buy several huge pots of it and put one by every sink in your house.

Then use it regularly - and always after washing your hands or getting them wet.

You can also help yourself by:

* Keeping in the shade in very sunny weather unless you're using a sunscreen cream

* Wearing rubber gloves when doing the washing up etc.

* Avoiding bubble baths etc - because they can make dry skin worse

* Using a bath oil. The oil will disperse in the bathwater and then stick to your skin to help protect it from drying out further

* Don't soak in the bath for more than 15 minutes. Too much bathing results in the loss of natural oils and water.

Excess HairUnwanted body hair is a major problem for thousands of women - particularly as summer approaches!

The growth of body hair is controlled by your hormones and your genes (neither of which you can change).

But there are several ways you can remove unwanted hair - different methods are best for different sites!

Cutting off excess hair with scissors or a razor is the simplest method.

It's not true that shaving will make hair grow faster or more bristly.

Electric razors are easy to use and you can't cut yourself.

But most women get a closer shave by using a blade. Always remember that wet hair is easier to cut than dry hair.

Chemical removal with special depilatory creams is most effective where hairs aren't too thick.

The big problem with them is that they can cause nasty allergy reactions. Always try them out first on a tiny piece of skin.

Waxing sounds horrific but is good for large areas - such as legs - which need rapid treatment.

Wax is put onto the skin and allowed to set. When the wax sets the hairs stuck in it are pulled out!

It can be as painful as it sounds if done by inexpert hands.

The big advantage with wax is that because the whole hair is pulled out the skin does feel smoother.

Electrolysis is the only method that will produce permanent hair removal.

It has to be done by a skilled operator - and can be expensive if you have a lot of hairs to remove.

A small electric current has to be passed into the root of each hair - which then dies.

Done well - by a good operator - it is remarkably effective. Done badly hairs often regrow.

It can be a nuisance - but one consolation should be the fact that greasy hair is stronger and tougher than ordinary or dry hair.

If you suffer from greasy hair you should:* Avoid combing or brushing your hair too often - that can produce extra oil.* Avoid wearing a hat if possible - that helps make things worse.* Keep your hairstyle simple.* Keep out of the direct sun and use warm rather than hot water when washing your hair.

Since long hair gets dirty easily, needs more attention and looks worse when greasy you may be better off with a shorter hairstyle.

Wash your hair every 2 or 3 days in warm water but don't scrub your scalp too much.

Buy a simple shampoo which contains few additives and no conditioner.

Conditioner will probably make greasy hair worse.

SpotsAcne is one of the commonest skin problems. It affects 9 out of 10 teenagers and thousands of people in their 20s, 30s and even 40s.

One in 20 people in their forties suffer from acne!

Acne is partly caused by the over-production of oil - stimulated by sex hormones.

* Wash regularly and use a clean face cloth or fairly soft brush. If you want to spend more money you can buy an abrasive cleaning paste to use instead of a roughish face flannel.* Plenty of sunshine will help.* Remove make-up thoroughly - otherwise it can clog the pores and make things worse.* Ask your doctor for help if necessary. He can prescribe pills to help control your spots.

WrinklesYour skin is full of elastic fibres which give it an ability to stretch and then return to its original position.

As you get older the elastic fibres break down and your skin becomes less elastic.

Combined with too much drying sunshine, chemical pollution of the atmosphere and a drop in circulating hormone levels that's what causes wrinkles.

Here are my quick tips for reducing your wrinkles:

1. Keep out of the sun as much as possible - or use an effective sunscreen cream. The sun is a giant wrinkle-making machine.2. Use a simple moisturising cream regularly to protect your skin.3. Keep away from cigarette smoke - if you smoke use a cigarette holder. Smoke will make you screw up your eyes - and that causes wrinkles.

You can buy dozens of anti-wrinkle creams but most of them work simply by filling in the wrinkles!

Once you wipe off the cream the wrinkles are still there.

In my opinion the only permanent way to eradicate wrinkles is to have plastic surgery.

Subscribe To

Followers

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, religious tolerance, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.